


In Smaller Realms

by Diabolus_Invictus



Series: In Smaller Realms [1]
Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 06:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13475424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diabolus_Invictus/pseuds/Diabolus_Invictus
Summary: After reading Prince Lestat & the Realms of Atlantis, I'm absolutely fascinated with what happened in between Armand and Marius's apparent 'dreadful quarrel', and Armand and Daniel getting back together. Here's my attempt to fill in the gaps.





	In Smaller Realms

_‘Armand and Marius had a dreadful quarrel in which Armand demanded that the Replimoids be hunted down and annihilated, and Marius accused Armand of having the savage and ignorant soul of a child.’_ [Prince Lestat  & the Realms of Atlantis] 

 

Even with killer aliens on the loose, it was still shaping up to be a hell of a bad night. The two people that Daniel Molloy cared about most in the world had been arguing with each other for the better part of an hour now, which wasn’t necessarily anything new, but the volume had increased to a level that concerned him. 

On a good day, Marius and Armand both favoured soft voices and carefully chosen words. It took an awful lot to get either of them to the point of actual no-holds-barred yelling. Daniel would know, as he was one of the rare unfortunate people who’d managed to achieve it with both of them. He was pretty sure that made him part of a small but elite club, of which himself and Lestat were vice-President and President respectively. 

But about ten minutes ago, Marius’s voice had turned terse and sharp (bad sign) and Armand’s words were flying with increasingly accented sarcasm (worse sign) and Daniel found himself setting aside his crossword and slipping down to the library with exactly zero percent of a plan. Awkward uncertainty turned to resolution when he rounded the corner and saw Lestat leaning against the wall outside the library, making absolutely no attempt to look like he was doing anything other than eavesdropping, his face alight with morbid fascination. 

_Damn._ When Lestat was wearing that expression, somebody always ended up in a book. 

“I never realized how spectacularly I’d failed you,” Marius snarled from inside the room, voice booming, “that a soul centuries old could yet remain the savage and ignorant soul of a child, devoid of empathy or compassion” 

“Hey, Lestat,” Daniel said, a little too brightly. 

Blue-grey eyes snapped to his and he was graced with a flash of rockstar smile. “Daniel,” Lestat greeted him. He tilted his head slightly towards the closed door, widening his eyes. “They’re still fighting.” 

_Everybody in a fifty-mile radius knows that,_ Daniel thought. _But it’s Armand and it’s Marius and nobody’s going to interrupt who doesn’t want their head exploded._

Lestat laughed out loud, and Daniel tried not to wish too fervently that the strong ones would keep their telepathic paws to themselves. That was going to get him in trouble some day. 

“Planning an intervention?” Lestat asked him, eyes sparkling with amusement. 

Inside the library, Armand hissed something in a low, vicious tone, and the electric lights in the hallway flared momentarily. Daniel grimaced. 

“Yeah,” he admitted, despite his better judgement. “They’ve both seen me at my lowest. I think I’ve got special non-exploding privileges or something.”

Lestat clapped him briefly on the shoulder, which Daniel imagined was probably how it felt to be gently patted by a Terminator. “Well, lacking such privileges, I’ll leave it in your capable hands then,” he said, before dropping him a wink and sauntering past Daniel back down the hall. 

It was still so surreal, being in the same house as Lestat de Lioncourt, having these casual first-name-basis conversations. A bit like having Elvis for a roommate. He’d bought the guy’s album, for crying out loud. Shaking his head, Daniel tapped his knuckles against the library door out of propriety, and then opened it. 

Marius was standing in front of the picture window like an angry statue, arms crossed, glaring out into the darkness rather than looking at Armand. And Armand… his poised, elegant Armand… was all but crackling with furious energy, colour rising in his face and his hands in fists at his sides. Neither of them spared Daniel a glance as he slipped into the room. The air was thick with hostile energy.

“… can think of nothing more absurd to accuse me of, as I was in his mind as he died!” Armand snarled, mid-tirade. His teeth were bared to the point that Daniel could see the tips of his fangs pressed against his lower lip. “And although no-one here seems to have thought much of Killer, he was one of mine. He died _terrified_ , Marius! He died…” 

“… by mistake,” Marius interrupted, in that firm, excessively calm voice that always made Daniel want to start throwing things. “The entire encounter was borne of misunderstanding. If these Replimoids were truly dangerous, there would have been more causalities than this.” 

Armand made a noise of disbelief, spreading his hands. “You’re suggesting we sit back and wait for the bodies to pile up before addressing this threat?” 

“You refuse to understand me, Armand,” Marius sighed. “This is an opportunity for communication and mutual understanding. It’s a call to… to forum. And I certainly won’t be the one to deem these creatures a threat.” 

Something in Armand’s unguarded expression snapped from hot to bitterly cold. “And in your wisdom, Master,” he said, his tone suddenly dangerous, “would you perhaps deem them more or less of a threat than the Satanic cults of Venice?” 

And in the crystal clear moment when Daniel realized that he ought to say something, anything, right now, Marius spun on Armand and struck him. At least that was what seemed to happen; he moved too quickly for Daniel’s eye to follow. But there was a crack like a gunshot, and then Armand was two steps further back from where he’d been, his hand curled at the edge of his mouth, his eyes wide and stunned. Marius’s right hand was raised, faintly trembling, and he looked at it like it didn’t belong to him. His chest was visibly rising and falling. 

“You go too far,” Marius breathed. “You go much too far.” 

A bright line of blood slipped from the corner of Armand’s mouth down the curve of his fingers and onto his wrist. He stared at Marius, unmoving save for the pulse that jumped in his throat. One of the mounted lights on the wall next to him emitted a short, high-pitched whine, and popped in a burst of sparks. 

A brief thought flitted through Daniel’s mind about the intelligence of stepping between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. But he’d already moved forward, putting an arm around Armand’s rigid shoulders and meeting Marius’s eyes. Marius stared at him with a sort of sinking horror, as though he really hadn’t been aware of his presence at all. 

“I need to borrow him, Marius,” Daniel said. He’d meant for there to be a tone of apology to his words, but it didn’t materialize. Well, fuck it, he was already in this deep. “Please,” he said to Armand, “I need your help for a minute.” 

Armand glanced at him with a dazed expression, as though trying to determine if he was real, but when Daniel moved towards the door, after a moment of resistance, Armand let himself be steered along. 

Marius was silent as they left the library, but Daniel could feel his eyes on them every step of the way. He didn’t reach out with his thoughts, and neither did Daniel. He wouldn’t have known what to say if he did. 

In the hallway, Daniel could still feel the nuclear-power hum of Lestat’s presence in the lounge. Ancients in the unused kitchen, ancients in the meeting hall… Daniel turned left, heading for his own room, the one place in the estate where he could offer a modicum of privacy in this nest of mindreaders. 

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly. He could smell Armand’s blood, that familiar old drug, unmistakable. 

Armand exhaled with a shudder, his shoulders straightening for a moment before his resolve seemed to falter and he leaned more heavily against Daniel. “I hate this place,” he murmured. “I _hate_ it.” 

“Lestat’s place, or just France in general?” Daniel asked. The levity he’d risked earned him a twitch of a smile from Armand. His broken lip had already mended, but there was a bright red smear over his jaw and the skin looked sore and bruised.

“Nothing good ever happens in France,” Armand said dourly. 

Daniel let go of him when they reached his room, stepping forward to open the door. When he glanced back at Armand, he was regarding the room, his expression perfectly unreadable. 

“You don’t have to come in,” Daniel said, suddenly awkward. “I just… It’s just if you wanted a place where you’re not going to end up as a chapter or something. _Chapter Eight: Armand’s Super Shitty Day._ I mean, I could leave too. It’s just a quiet place if you want one, that’s all.” 

Armand turned his attention on him, scrutinizing him, and Daniel fought the urge to fidget under that unblinking gaze. 

“That’s really it, isn’t it?” Armand said. 

Daniel shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I say what I mean. I tend to do that. You know that. Daniel ‘Unflinching Honesty’ Molloy, at your service.” 

_You know me,_ he thought. _Or you used to anyway._

Armand nodded, licked a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, and stepped forward. As he moved past, he reached over, curling his fingers around Daniel’s wrist. 

“I’d like it if you stayed,” he said, so quietly that human ears wouldn’t have caught it. 

Trying not to overthink it, Daniel slipped his hand from his pocket, twined his fingers through Armand’s, and followed him into the room, shutting the door behind them. Armand gave his hand an almost imperceptible squeeze before letting it go, and then proceeded to do That Armand Thing where he wandered around dispassionately examining absolutely everything he could find. Daniel wrinkled his nose, hoping he hadn’t left anything stupid lying around. 

_He’s seen you passed out drunk and covered in filth on park benches and in alleys,_ he reminded himself. _He’s seen you drooling on three different types of drugs in the middle of impromptu orgies. He’s not going to judge you on your interior decorating choices._

Daniel left Armand to his exploration and headed into the en suite, finding a clean washcloth and running it under warm water. His reflection in the mirror caught his attention for a moment. His skin was whiter than the last time that he and Armand had been alone in a room together, and his eyes were brighter, more unnaturally vivid. They’d been so polite, asking after each other’s well-being, but damned if they were ever really alone anymore. He wondered if Armand still thought his eyes were anything unique, or if he was just as shiny-pretty-bright as all of the other vampires in this place now. 

“Did you actually need me,” Armand called to him, “or was this just a particularly feeble ruse?” 

Daniel snorted and returned to the main room. _Always need you,_ he thought, pleased that this time his mind wasn’t being broadcast live. _Just not for anything in particular._ “Hey. I’ll have you know I can come up with ruses way more cunning than going ‘wow, Marius, look over there!’” 

Armand looked up from the jumble of electronics on Daniel’s small desk, quirking an eyebrow at him sceptically. 

“I mean, I _could_ ,” Daniel protested. He went over with the intention of handing the damp cloth to Armand so he could clean himself up, but when Armand tilted his chin up to him, quiet and trusting, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do the job himself. He pressed the warm cloth to the edge of Armand’s mouth, probably more gently than necessary, and slid it over his cheek, wiping bright spots of red from marble-white skin. Armand’s eyes half-closed and he tilted his head into Daniel’s touch, his soft russet curls falling over Daniel’s fingers. 

_It’s like those museum people who have to clean the old masterpieces,_ he thought. _Gentle, gentle, gentle. Can’t replace it once it’s gone._ His thoughts were slip-sliding, making him a little dizzy, reminding him too much of the years of madness. Of Marius’s stern blue-eyed gaze drawing his reeling attention, making him focus, making him eat, reminding him not to lie down and die. 

“I think I’m the villain again, Daniel,” Armand said suddenly. His eyes, still mostly closed, were glittering with a crimson sheen. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried so hard, but I’m out of step again. I always am. I don’t know why I can’t understand all of this.” 

Daniel shook his head, taking Armand’s hand and carefully wiping the drying blood from his fingers. Nothing he could do about the stain on the cuff of his white shirt. “There’s _killer aliens_ , boss,” he said. “You’re not the bad guy.” 

Armand gave a breathless laugh and moved forward suddenly, pressing his forehead to Daniel’s shoulder. 

Daniel put his arms around him, resting his cheek against the top of Armand’s head, his heart breaking with nostalgic familiarity. He’d spent a lot of time in Marius’s arms coming out of his madness, and it was like resting in the lap of a marble statue. The humans he danced with and embraced for his little drinks felt as fragile as sugar glass now. In Goldilocks terms, having Armand in his arms felt just right. 

“I was in Killer’s mind when he died,” Armand murmured. Daniel felt his fingers curl into the material of his tee-shirt. “He called out to me to help him. I was trying to get to him when they cracked his skull open. He was still alive when they started to eat him. I felt every moment of his death as if it were my own.” 

“Jesus,” Daniel breathed. 

“And when it broke loose at my compound in New York… I knew I could stay awake longer than Benji or Eleni, but dawn was on me. My strength was gone. I thought I would watch them die in front of me. I was helpless.” He paused, a fine shudder running through him. “It has been a very long time since I’ve felt helpless,” he finished in a low voice. 

Daniel wrapped his arms more tightly around him, suddenly and vibrantly furious. At Marius, and at Lestat, and all of the others. With all of the time that they spent whispering about Armand and his past, how had it been so damned difficult for them to understand why he might be taking an aggressive stance? The last few days alone were all the answer they needed. 

“You’re not the bad guy,” Daniel repeated. 

Armand looked up at him then, hellfire in his brown eyes. “I won’t let them hurt you,” he said, and it had the solemnity of an oath to it. “I won’t let them harm any of the ones I love. If that makes me a villain, so be it.” 

“We’ll get through this,” Daniel promised. He set the cloth on the desk and ran his fingertips over the mark on Armand’s jaw, marvelling at how rapidly it was already fading. “We’ve survived weirder things than this.” 

“Killer aliens?” Armand said, echoing his phrase with a faint wry smile. 

“Lestat’s concert blew up at the end,” Daniel countered seriously, “People had honest-to-god scythes everywhere, you were having a moral crisis, and I was one day old.” 

Armand gave a soft, breathless laugh. “I’ve missed you, Daniel.” He tightened his hands in Daniel’s shirt, stretched up, and kissed him on the mouth. The familiar/unfamiliar feeling of it broke Daniel’s heart and patched it back together all at once. 

_Missed you, mourned you, always going to love you,_ Daniel thought wildly. And then, with startling clarity: _If he’s the bad guy, I’m going down with him. The Devil’s Minion to the very end._

“Missed you too,” he whispered.

Armand drew back, smoothing the material of Daniel’s shirt. The steady pressure of his fingers running down his chest sent a frisson of heat and hunger through him. Lust and love and madness had always been three cords firmly braided together in Daniel’s mind, but tonight he felt sane. Tonight, everything felt real. 

“I want to leave this place,” Armand told him, his hands resting lightly at Daniel’s hips. “Just for a little while. Even a few hours.” He studied Daniel, and there was a spark of something in his expression that reminded him of the best parts of their wild years together. “Would you like to come with me?” 

Daniel did, so he told him so. 

_(To Be Continued)_


End file.
